Tag Archives: Angst

He’s the hot-as-sin rocker hiding a secret that would devastate his fans. She’s the only girl he’s ever loved, but keeping her safe means he had to walk away…

Only Ever You, an all-new second chance standalone from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis is coming February 28th, and we have the sexy new cover for you!

RYDER

My entire life is a lie, propelled by one wrong decision that altered my fate.

If fans knew the truth, they’d run away screaming. But all they see is Ryder Stone, moody guitarist and lead singer of Torment, and a potential notch on their bedpost.

Only two people know who I really am. My manager has a vested interest in keeping my secret, and the girl I was forced to leave behind doesn’t even know the true extent of my shame.

Losing Zeta is both my biggest regret and my proudest moment. But she was the glue keeping me together, and I’m struggling to survive without her. Especially when the demons from my past continue to haunt me and the threat of disclosure is ever present.

When she reappears in my life, this time, I’m too weak to push her away.

Her love has the power to save me.

Mine has the power to destroy her.

ZETA

I’ve worked hard to forget my past. To rise above my messed-up childhood and make something of myself; however, there’s no forgetting him.

Ryder’s gorgeous face and drool-worthy body are plastered over tabloids and TV screens, reminding me I’m still in love with the boy who captured my heart in juvie.

When he failed me, I thought I’d never again experience such heart-crushing pain. But watching him fall out of clubs with a succession of different girls renews the agony, resurrecting countless unanswered questions.

Now my boss has sent me to interview him. It’s a massive scoop for the magazine, and turning it down would kill my career. So, I delude myself into thinking I can handle this.

Perhaps this is the closure I need to finally move on.

Except I’m terrified nothing has changed and one look into those soulful eyes will suck me in again.

Ryder almost destroyed me last time. This time, he could ruin me forever.

Watch the trailer:

USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult romantic fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the international bestselling Kennedy Boys, Saven, and True Calling series’.

Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.

She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.

Release Date: January 9, 2019Cover Design: Kellie Dennis from Book Cover by Design

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“This book is everything I love about MC romance. It has sassy biker babes, alpha makes, intense emotions, and the unexpected.” ~Amazon Review

“I was totally captivated throughout this addictive masterpiece, and I cannot wait to read more from this talented author, whose work I highly recommend for all MC lovers!” ~Wendy’s Book Blog

“This story is full of drama, tension, angst, twists, heat, passion and romance.” ~April’s Blog of Awesomeness

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We were destined.

But time and fate are not on our side.

My president—her blood brother.

My patch—so close I can taste it.

Yet, I have to choose. Is there really a choice?

My club or the girl.

This woman shines brightly. She’s adored, worshiped, and cherished by everyone, not only me. I’m just the unlucky prospect who fell for her.

But we’re complicated. I want my patch, but I can’t have her and it at the same time.

This story isn’t only about a man fighting to have both—it’s secrets, battles, defection, and scandal.

Betrayal—it’s imminent.

How will we deal with our sufferance?

MY REVIEW

As a big fan of this series, Chicago Defiance MC, I have been waiting for this story of Neala and Tremor! Neala being the Club Princess, sister of the Club President and Vice President, and Tremor being only a prospect. There was a lot of angst in this one. With Tremor staying away from Neala because her big brother, and Tremor’s Club President didn’t want them together. Tremor wanted Neala and his patch, and to truly be a part of the Club. Neala just wanted Tremor. So you can see where there was a lot of frustration and angst. But it was a great story! Sometimes very emotional. So much happens. Lots of heat in this one…very hot!! Plus, of course, lots of Club action. If it seems I’m being vague, it’s on purpose. I hate when people ruin the book for you and I refuse to do that. But if you enjoy a good MC Romance, this is a great series!!! I’m already looking forward to book 5 next month!!! Highly recommended!!!

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Australian author K E Osborn was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. With a background in graphic design and a flair for all things creative, she felt compelled to write the story brewing in her mind.

Writing gives her life purpose. It makes her feel, laugh, cry and get completely enveloped in the characters and their story lines. She feels completely at home when writing and wouldn’t consider doing anything else.

BlurbThey say your first kiss should be earned.Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.Mine were broken before we left church.They say your heart only beats for one man.Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.One kiss.Two men.Three lives.Entwined together.And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

Excerpt“Are you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to the man with a polite yet distant smile. I was still disoriented from the exchange with Angelo when the stranger pulled me against his hard body and pressed a possessive hand lower than socially acceptable on my back, a second from groping my butt.“Answer me,” I hissed.“My bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.“The bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I kept my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.“I know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth.”Un-freaking-believable.We began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man was in high demand, too.I was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew how to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and Angelo’s playfulness.“Nemesis.” He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl who entertained Bishop and his horsey wife at the table.”I choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the way his marble body felt against mine.“Nemesis is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed him a taunting smirk.“Some of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.“Arrogance is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s because she had a backbone.”“Do you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.“Do I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder when we were alone.“Have a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it felt like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and jump into a pool full of ice.“Of course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were you raised by wild coyotes?”“Give me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away from him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind the demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the only thing that stood out.I am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.“I really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who chatted away.“And see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior to her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a witch who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written to her by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going to kiss him tonight.”“That’s your backbone?”“When I have an ambition, I go for it.”

A conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d chase.

About the AuthorL.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

MY REVIEW

“I loathed him. But I also craved him. Terribly.”

WOW!!! That’s it….just WOW!!! I don’t know how to express how great this book was! How intense, complicated, angsty, messy…it just about broke me at times. The characters were so flawed, so complicated, and it tore my heart to shreds at times. It was beautiful as walls were lowered and eyes were opened to truths and realities. But then something would happen to try and ruin that progress. But it was beautiful to watch how love grew, unknowingly, and the beauty in the way it was all presented to us. I’m rambling, I know! This is LJ Shen’s best book yet!!! And that is completely un-freaking-believable!!! Wolfe and Francesca…they will continue to haunt me for a while, this is not the kind of book you finish and move on. It’s going to be with me for a while now.
HUGELY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!!! ALL THE FREAKIN STARS, ALL OF THEM!!!

My Heart to Touch (A Maxwell Family Saga Book 1)

S.B. Alexander

The shy ones are diamonds in the rough.

QUINN THOMPSON

When I walk into a room, the popular kids whisper about me. I don’t own designer clothes or name-brand shoes. I don’t wear low-cut shirts or tons of makeup either. I’m as plain Jane as a girl can get. I live on a farm, where the uniform of the day is boots, jeans, and a T-shirt unless it’s winter; then I trade my T-shirts for heavy sweaters and a parka. Baggy is my style.

But I’m considered one of the nerds in school for reasons besides my wardrobe. I have my nose in books while the popular girls have their noses up jocks’ butts. I do everything I can to avoid the in crowd at Kensington High—until a new boy waltzes in. He’s tall like my brothers, handsome like Zach Efron, and disrupts my belief that boys only want one thing. My only problem is he’ll never notice me, not if my arch-nemesis has any say.

MAIKEN MAXWELL

Basketball has been my life until my dad died. I’m trying not to get depressed, but it’s hard to breathe sometimes. He’ll never cheer from the stands at any of my basketball games or shout at me to shoot that three-pointer. I promised him I would step up if anything happened to him, and now it’s time to be the man of the house.

Only I’m torn between playing for the Kensington High basketball team and finding a job—until the girl with butterscotch hair snags my attention. She’s pretty, quirky, and her presence takes my mind off my troubles. Above all else, she makes me feel things that I’ve never felt before. In my mind, girls are just a distraction. They’re nice to look at, they talk too much, and they’re extremely pushy. Yet Quinn Thompson might change my opinion that all girls are created equal.

Well I have been dying to read this book since the announcement of a Maxwell boys spinoff series. I can definitely say it was worth the wait!!! S. B. Alexander does not disappoint. Her characters are so well written, and you can’t help but like the two main characters. I just wish there was a little more romance between them, but maybe we have to wait for book two for things to build more. She wrote in the perfect “mean” characters! If I could have reached into my kindle and slapped them, I definitely would have!! The parents, the siblings, everyone was so interesting. Then seeing Kade Maxwell so involved, i kept thinking what a great dad he’s going to be! We even had a few scenes with Lacey!

The pace moved right along, i never found myself getting bored. Just the opposite, I didn’t want to put it down, especially once i really got into the story. I think the overall plot was very relatable to young adults that age. The shyness, dealing with loss, bullying, pressure in school, etc. But I’m interested to see where the storyline picks up next. How much more bullying can kids take before they stand up and….what? I’m wondering what will happen next?? I’m very excited to read the next book and find out!!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to anyone who enjoys YA Romance!!! S. B. Alexander is a phenomenal writer and you won’t be disappointed!!

Grim’s expression softens. “Let me make you feel good. Let me erase some of the hurt.” He pulls me against him for a searing kiss that makes me want nothing more than for him to be inside of me. Injuries be damned.

I dig my fingernails into his back as he trails his talented tongue down my shoulder then across my chest until he’s staring at my naked breasts. “Perfect, beautiful tits,” he whispers with such awe it almost sounds like a prayer.

Sucking my nipple into his warm mouth, he toys with it between his teeth and tongue.

I kick out my legs, needing more. So much more.

“Shhhh…I got you, Tricks.”

I groan into the night as he moves to worship my other nipple. I’m in ecstasy and frustrated all at the same time.

He lowers his lips down my body, trailing his lips across my skin, down past my navel. When he reaches my shorts, he tugs at the button. I lift my hips, to assist him in ridding the barrier of clothing between us.

“Tell me if I hurt you,” he murmurs, his breath creates a tingling sensation against my already sensitive and swollen clit.

I can only nod my response because his lips are on me again, silencing my words and consuming my thoughts. He’s kissing me passionately in my most intimate place, parting my pussy lips with his tongue and lapping me up like I’m the most delicious morsel he’s ever tasted. He groans against my core.

I’m holding onto him for dear life, my fingers splayed in his hair to anchor him to me and me to the ground.

Grim massages my inner thigh with one hand while he works a thick finger inside of me with the other. Gently, too gently. There is no pain, only Grim and pleasure and everything I want in the world right here between my legs.

I tense as he sucks my clit into his mouth. A feeling of pure electric heat sizzles throughout my body. My insides ache as the pressure builds and builds from a spark into an uncontrollable raging fire.

He must like my reaction, because he groans against me, fucking me with his fingers and licking me over and over again like a crazed animal. As if making me come is all that’s important in this world.

“I’m close,” I tell him, pulling his hair even harder, egging him on.

He lets out a guttural groan, flattening his tongue against my clit, stroking it up and down and back again.

The tension I feel within me is borderline pain, twisting me from the inside out. I’m about to burst through my own skin.

Grim lightly bites my clit before sucking it into hard his mouth one last time.

I come apart on a roar of my own, screaming his name into the night. I contract around his tongue, coating it in a flush of wetness I can feel dripping down my ass cheeks as I writhe against his face. The pleasure smashes into me over and over again, shattering me into pieces like a hammer against glass.

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world.

T.M. enjoys writing what she calls sexy‘wrongside of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines.

Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay.

She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.

I was up until 2:00 AM reading this last night, and then I couldn’t calm myself down to get to sleep!! Now I’m sitting down to write this review and my heart is starting to race again!! Oh god!!!

This was such an awesome, AWESOME ending to this series!!! I am SOOO in love with this series!! OMG…Tracey can really write them!!! I LOVE Grim & Tricks, especially Grim, SOOO much!!! Their love is so beautiful!! But even all the other characters, some we got to know more than others, but they were all SO REAL!!!

OMG…This book!! Hang on to something!! Be ready for a ride when you read this book!! There are surprises that feel like a grenade went off!! At times it feels like one did, in your heart. This book has so much angst!! There’s lots of twists and turns, and they’re flying at you so fast that I swear I thought I was going to pee my pants!!! YOU WILL NOT GET BORED WITH THIS BOOK, THERE ARE NO SLOW PARTS!!!

My life
My death
My honor
My loyalty
For Bedlam
For brotherhood
For Always

I can’t recommend this book HIGHLY ENOUGH!!!! A MILLION, TRILLION STARS!!!! READ IT!!!!!

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world.

T.M. enjoys writing what she calls sexy‘wrongside of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines.

Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay.

She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.

I was up until 2:00 AM reading this last night, and then I couldn’t calm myself down to get to sleep!! Now I’m sitting down to write this review and my heart is starting to race again!! Oh god!!!

This was such an awesome, AWESOME ending to this series!!! I am SOOO in love with this series!! OMG…Tracey can really write them!!! I LOVE Grim & Tricks, especially Grim, SOOO much!!! Their love is so beautiful!! But even all the other characters, some we got to know more than others, but they were all SO REAL!!!

OMG…This book!! Hang on to something!! Be ready for a ride when you read this book!! There are surprises that feel like a grenade went off!! At times it feels like one did, in your heart. This book has so much angst!! There’s lots of twists and turns, and they’re flying at you so fast that I swear I thought I was going to pee my pants!!! YOU WILL NOT GET BORED WITH THIS BOOK, THERE ARE NO SLOW PARTS!!!

My life
My death
My honor
My loyalty
For Bedlam
For brotherhood
For Always

I can’t recommend this book HIGHLY ENOUGH!!!! A MILLION, TRILLION STARS!!!! READ IT!!!!!

The rumors are true. I’m a hot mess with an awful track record at love. Single mom. Down on her luck. Yeah, I’m bad news.

If the hardest part of moving back home to Jackson Harbor was going to be people talking, I’d be fine. I’ve kept my chin up through worse than their decade-old gossip.

I was wrong. The hardest part is resisting my boss. Brayden Jackson is the very picture of tall, dark, and handsome. And thanks to an ill-advised one-night stand we had seven months ago, I know exactly what I’m missing when I turn him down. Every. Single. Delicious. Inch.

But I have my son to care for and my job to keep, so I’ll keep on saying no.

Until my string of bad luck continues, and suddenly my precious four-year-old and I find ourselves with nowhere to live. At Christmas, no less. It’s for my son that I accept Brayden’s offer to stay at his place. One by one, my defenses are falling, as fast as I am. If Brayden was smart, he’d run, because it’s only a matter of time before he realizes he deserves better than what a girl like me can offer.

Unless, for once, my bad luck is leading me exactly where I need to be.

“Oh, and this box wasn’t labeled. Where do you want it?” Brayden pulls open the flaps of the box he set on the bed when he entered. “Looks like there are some washcloths in here. And . . .” He lifts a stack of washcloths and peers at the contents beneath. His eyes go wide. “Oh.”

The moment my brain registers what he’s looking at, I lunge for him and smack a hand over his eyes. I intentionally put that box in my car, separate from the others. And I forgot.

Brayden’s chest rumbles with laughter, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Brayden Jackson just saw my entire vibrator collection.

He gently pulls my hand away, revealing eyes full of mischief.

I squeak. “Don’t look in that box again.”

His lips twitch. “But I really, really want to.”

I point a finger at him. “Don’t you dare.”

He presses his lips into a thin line, amusement dancing in his eyes. Then, as if he can’t help himself, he asks, “Are they all pink?”

“Shut up!” My cheeks are on fire.

His voice is the softest caress of a whisper when he says, “Molly, your cheeks are almost as pink as your vibrators.”

I smack both hands against his chest. “You did not just say that word!”

“Vibrators?” He grins. Not one of his smirks or half smiles, but a grin, and damn me and my stupid chemical attraction to this man, because it makes me want to slam the bedroom door closed and climb him like a tree. “If you don’t like the word, why do you have—”

I throw my hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it. We agreed we’d keep our relationship professional—that’s what we both wanted. So don’t say it. Don’t even think about it.” Then, because I realize his lips are pressed to my palm and it reminds me too much of our night in New York when his lips were everywhere, I back away.

The warm amusement in his eyes turns to heat. “First of all,” he says, his voice like silky steel, “those were your rules, not mine. I agreed for you, not because that’s what I want.” He drags his gaze over me, and my heart pounds so fast it feels like a hummingbird’s trying to escape my chest. “Second, even if I tried not to think about you using your little collection of pink toys, I’d fail miserably.” He dips his head, and I can feel his breath against my ear as he says, “I’m already thinking about it, and I will be for a long time yet.”

About Lexi:

Lexi Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles. A former academic and English professor, Lexi considers herself the luckiest girl around to make a living through storytelling. She loves spending time with her crazy kids, weightlifting, ice cream, swoony heroes, and vodka martinis.

Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and a spoiled dog. You can find her at her website: http://www.lexiryan.com

The Boys of Jackson Harbor series has been the most enjoyable series. Because in each book it features one of those Jackson brothers and let me tell you, each and every one of them is book boyfriend material. How can one family have so many gorgeous boys, that are so sweet and loving, but an alpha in the bedroom. There is one sister, and I’m looking forward to reading about her love story too.

This is the fourth book in the series, and honestly I didn’t know if I was going to like the female lead in it because of her past role in book 3. I loved Brayden, I mean really loved him. He’s really something very special. We haven’t had a peek at who Brayden really is before now, but he is absolutely wonderful!
It was Molly that I was really afraid I wouldn’t be able to open up to. And at the beginning I still wasn’t so sure. But Lexi Ryan knows how to open someone up and reveal what’s truly inside. That’s what she did with Molly. I came to really love Molly. She ended up being good for Brayden, as he was for her. They go through some challenges and heartbreak, but they get through it. I found the end so heartwarming and Molly and her son, Noah, truly belong with the Jackson family. I can’t wait till the next book, where Carter Jackson gets his happily ever after!!

Wrapped in Love, an all-new standalone contemporary romance by Lexi Ryan is live!!

The rumors are true. I’m a hot mess with an awful track record at love. Single mom. Down on her luck. Yeah, I’m bad news.

If the hardest part of moving back home to Jackson Harbor was going to be people talking, I’d be fine. I’ve kept my chin up through worse than their decade-old gossip.

I was wrong. The hardest part is resisting my boss. Brayden Jackson is the very picture of tall, dark, and handsome. And thanks to an ill-advised one-night stand we had seven months ago, I know exactly what I’m missing when I turn him down. Every. Single. Delicious. Inch.

But I have my son to care for and my job to keep, so I’ll keep on saying no.

Until my string of bad luck continues, and suddenly my precious four-year-old and I find ourselves with nowhere to live. At Christmas, no less. It’s for my son that I accept Brayden’s offer to stay at his place. One by one, my defenses are falling, as fast as I am. If Brayden was smart, he’d run, because it’s only a matter of time before he realizes he deserves better than what a girl like me can offer.

Unless, for once, my bad luck is leading me exactly where I need to be.

Lexi Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles. A former academic and English professor, Lexi considers herself the luckiest girl around to make a living through storytelling. She loves spending time with her crazy kids, weightlifting, ice cream, swoony heroes, and vodka martinis.

Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and a spoiled dog. You can find her at her website: http://www.lexiryan.com

Bethany nods to the box, again pressing her finger to her lips. “We will know more when you’re assigned a judge. Until then, we will just have to wait,” she says loudly. She points with her eyes to the item in my hand, then leaves.

The object I’m holding is a rock with a piece of paper attached to it by a rubber band. I pull the paper free and flip it over. It’s a note.

The one-piece scratchy uniform I’m wearing is bright orange. What the fuck is all this about?

I peer out from my cell. There’s no one in the room now. Not even the janitor. The security camera high in the corner across from my cell, the one that’s usually pointed directly at me, is now facing down toward the floor.

Whatever you do, don’t turn around. Okay, so I won’t turn around completely, but curiosity leads me to risk a glance over my shoulder. It’s just a wall. An empty blank wall. BOOM. BOOOOOM!

An empty blank wall…that just exploded.

The sound resonates through my eardrums. I duck and cover my head with my hands as pieces of cement rain down into the cell. Dust coats my hair and the back of my neck. After a few beats, I stand, waving away the plumes of the aftermath.

Through the debris, I can just barely make out headlights. It’s a truck with a battering bar attached to the hood.

“All aboard! This train is leaving the motherfucking station. Literally!” shouts a voice. I can’t see who it is through the windshield which is shrouded in what remains of my cell. I don’t have time to ask any questions of the mystery voice.

There’s no time to question anything.

The passenger door flies open. Two officers appear behind me. One fumbles with the cell keys while the other shouts at him to move faster.

It won’t be fast enough.

I leap into the truck and slam the door. The tires spin in place for a few seconds until they finally grip the concrete. My head hits the headliner as we reverse over the broken bricks until we’re clear of them and are able to make forward motion. It isn’t until we’re through the field and on the road when I finally get a good look of my getaway driver.

“Preppy?” I ask. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Preppy may not be part of any official organization, but he runs a tight ship over in Logan’s Beach. Belly and I have worked with him and his friend King a few times in the past. I haven’t seen Preppy since before he was thought to be dead only to later be rescued from an underground cave where he was held captive for the better part of a year.

“Grim? Fuck, I thought I was rescuing Bear. Get the fuck out,” he teases. “Just kidding. If Bear was locked up I wouldn’t help him escape. That fucker could use some ‘me time’ to contemplate his grumpy nature.”

He holds the wheel with one hand and straightens his signature bowtie with the other. His white dress shirt is rolled up to his elbows revealing arms heavily covered with both tattoos and angry jagged scars.

He lights a joint and tugs on the wheel, making a sharp turn off the road into a dark heavily wooded area. When we’ve made it in far enough to be fully camouflaged by trees and brush, Preppy kills the engine.

He passes me the joint, and I take a much-needed hit, holding the smoke for as long as I can before slowly exhaling.

“Thanks, man. How the fuck did you get sucked into this?”

Preppy types out a text on his phone, then sets it back in the console. “Bethany. I owed her a favor. She got my boy, Bo, out of some trouble recently.”

“Isn’t your kid like ten now?” I ask. “What kind of trouble can a ten-year-old get into that needs Bethany’s kind of help?”

“He’s eight,” Preppy corrects. “And my boy catches the kind of trouble most kids his age don’t know is out there to catch. My girls are easier. Twin toddlers. Miley and Taylor. The three of them, along with their mama, are the loves of my fucked-up life. Bo’s a good kid. He’s just…well, his brain arrow doesn’t exactly shoot straight. Its target is usually more…”

Preppy shapes his hand like an arrow aimed at the windshield, then changes the aim to me.

“Human.” He drops his hand. “And the incident in question wasn’t that bad. It may or may not have had something to do with the unfortunate disappearance of a certain…”

He waves the rest of his sentence away like there’s a gnat flying around his head.

“Let’s just say he’s grounded. VERY grounded. For life. Or like a week. Minimum a few days. Or a day. Maybe, an hour or two. Poor kid. Maybe, I’ll just take him to the movies.” He sighs. “You’ll see. Wait until you’ve got some sex trophies of your own. You’ll understand.”

Kids. I’ve never thought of myself with a kid before. I picture Tricks holding a baby in her arms. Our baby. Much to my surprise, I don’t fucking hate it. Although, the thought isn’t helpful to my current situation and only makes me more impatient and enraged.

One thing at a fucking time.

Sirens wail through the night. Preppy remains cool and calm like he’s driving a parade float down main street, and not at all like he’s running from the law with a fugitive.

Blue and red flashes light up the woods. After a few seconds, the vehicles pass, and both the lights and sirens fade off into the distance. “That’s our bat signal. Let’s get you the fuck outta here so I can get home to the missus and eat her cookies.” Preppy pauses, probably realizing his odd choice of words. “I do actually mean cookies. Dre makes a mean batch of chocolate chip.”

I stare silently out at the passing trees.

“I’m going to eat her pussy, too. You know, after the other kind of cookies. Just so we’re clear.”

“Thanks, man. We’re clear. And if you ever need anything and I’m not dead or serving time, I’m there,” I assure him. I mean it. I owe him a debt. A huge one.

“Hhhhmmm,” he considers, taking the joint I pass him. “How do you feel about babysitting?”

I smile at his joke until I look over at Preppy only to see he’s not doing the same.

In fact, it’s the only time in my life I’d ever seen him with a straight face.

“I uh…”

He looks straight ahead through the scratched and broken windshield. Bits of concrete from our escape attempt cover the dashboard, and some of it is lodged into the glass. “Never mind. You can do me one favor, though.”

“Anything within my power. It’s yours.”

“Don’t tell King about this,” he says. It comes out as a sheepish high-pitched question.

“Why? He wouldn’t want to know that you broke me out?”

King was a friend of Belly’s and a good ally to Bedlam. It wouldn’t make sense that he’d be against helping me. I’d do the same for any of them if the roles were reversed.

Preppy shakes his head. “Oh no, he knows I broke you out. I just sent him a text to tell him it’s over. The grand escape is complete.” He steps on the gas. “But he don’t gotta know I used his truck to do it.”

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How do I write these reviews?? I just want to EXPLODE about it!!

Firstly, I am still sooo in love with Grim! But, Tricks…she is so damn badasss!! Even Grim acknowledges it a number of times, for example he says, “Tricks, I’m in awe of you. You’re amazing. You…You’re f-ing magic.” I just love this woman!!! They are PERFECT together!!! We get to see some pretty sweet moments. I soaked them right up. But we also see a lot of angst, violence, and aggravating things happen. I got so crazy a few times, more than a few! I LOVED this book…I am LOVING this series SO MUCH!!! I can’t wait for PERMISSION, the 3rd and final book, which comes out December 11th….NOT THAT FAR!!!!

I HIGHLY recommend this book!! 5++Stars!! I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this series!! I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this author…T.M. Frazier is the BEST!!! I fell in love with her writing through her KING Series and have sat here just LOVING every word she pens, every character she creates and OMG every romance she writes!!! SHE IS INCREDIBLE!!!🖤

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About the Author

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world.

T.M. enjoys writing what she calls sexy‘wrongside of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines.

Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay.

She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.

T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world.

T.M. enjoys writing what she calls sexy‘wrongside of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines.

Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay.

She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she’s not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.